Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said Baker Mayfield dislocated the right thumb on his throwing hand in the fourth quarter of the Buccaneers’ 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and the quarterback is expected to miss time, per NFL Network.
The injury occurred after Mayfield scrambled, avoided two tacklers and was struck near his right hand by Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman as he released a pass that was picked off by Andrew Van Ginkel. Shortly after that sequence, Mayfield was seen escorted to the locker room by trainers and did not return to the game.
The setback comes just weeks after Mayfield inked a three-year, $165 million extension with Tampa Bay in September, a deal that made him the highest-paid player in franchise history and keeps him under contract through the 2029 season.
Tampa Bay fell to 0-2 on the season after Sunday’s loss, following a 23-19 defeat to Cleveland last week. Mayfield had a rough start to the year, completing 44 of 62 passes for one touchdown and four turnovers across the first two games, and he had been fighting an illness earlier in the week but practiced fully and was cleared to play.
Fan Take: This matters because a throwing-hand injury to a newly extended veteran QB can dramatically alter Tampa Bay’s short-term outlook and raise questions about roster depth and contingency plans. For the league, it’s a reminder of how quickly quarterback situations can shift and how injuries can ripple through team strategies and playoff projections.
Source: www.foxsports.com
